Philadelphia – Chase Utley hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs, and David Bell and Kenny Lofton each had four hits to give the Philadelphia Phillies’ fading postseason hopes a boost with a 16-6 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
The Phillies avoided a three-game sweep and maintained their slim chance of catching Houston for the NL wild card. The Phillies remained 2 1/2 games behind the Astros, who defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 and finish the season with four home games against the Chicago Cubs.
The Phillies are off today and close the season with a three-game series in Washington.
Jimmy Rollins extended his club- record hitting streak to 33 games with a leadoff single, and Shane Victorino and Pat Burrell each homered during a seven-run eighth inning. Utley drove in two runs in the eighth to give him 101 RBIs, and the Phillies had a season-high 20 hits.
Philadelphia desperately needed the victory after two crushing losses to the Mets. The bullpen squandered a three-run lead in the eighth inning on Monday, and Bell’s critical baserunning blunder in the eighth on Tuesday cost the Phillies two games they could have won.
The Mets threatened again late in this one, also, this time when David Wright’s two-run homer in the seventh off reliever Ryan Madson pulled them to 9-6.
Vicente Padilla (9-12) was solid until tiring in the seventh, allowing five runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed two solo homers to Marlon Anderson and one to Cliff Floyd.
Staked to an early 2-1 lead, Mets starter Steve Trachsel (1-4) ran into trouble in the third. Rollins led off with a walk, Lofton singled and Utley hit his 26th homer off the netting attached to the right-field foul pole for a 4-2 lead. Mike Lieberthal added an RBI single to make it 5-2.
Rollins extended his hitting streak with a leadoff infield single. He hit a grounder that seemed to get stuck in the glove of hard-charging shortstop Jose Reyes. He did not attempt a throw and the speedy Rollins got a standing ovation.
He scored on Bobby Abreu’s sacrifice fly, his 100th RBI. Abreu, Burrell (116 RBIs) and Utley give the Phillies three players with 100 RBIs for the first time since 1932.
